Taipei Cycle 2010 Draws Record Number of Exhibitors

To accommodate the growth, show organizers had to expand exhibition space to the fifth and sixth floors of the TWTC NANGANG Exhibition Hall and include a larger outdoor exhibition area. Approximately 5,000 buyers are expected to attend the show, now one of the three largest in the world, according to TAITRA.

Average unit price of Taiwans exported bicycles rose from $257 in 2008 to $291 last year, a 13.1% increase that helped mitigate a 20.4% drop in export quantity.

 

LEVs to be Major Focus
Taipei Cycle 2010 unfolds across three main theme areas: Complete Bicycles, Bicycle Parts and Accessories, and Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs). With growing interest on environmental issues LEVs has skyrocketed in importance and TAIPEI CYCLE 2010 has flexibly adapted to accommodate this new breed of LEV manufacturer who enjoy twice as much floor space as last year.

China Motor Corporation (CMC) from Taiwan and Sanyo Electric from Japan, for instance, will display their hottest models of electric bicycles alongside such brands as Giant, Merida, Ideal, Kenda, Maxxis, Shimano, SRAM, Continental, and Colnago applying its car-making tech to E-bikes. TAITRA has partnered with German cycling organization ExtraEnergy and the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan (ITRI) to organize LEV test drive at the exhibition halls fourth-floor eastern cargo ramp. The event offers buyers a chance to experience first-hand the convenience of LEV riding.

The Taipei Power Forum-2010 LEV Symposium explores future trends in the LEV industry through three different vantage points: international markets, regulations, and environmental standards. The organizers hope the event will consolidate Taiwans position as a global leader in the field.

Contest features bike that converts to shopping cart
This years show will include the 14th Annual International Bicycle Design Competition (IBDC) Award Ceremony. The contest drew 720 entries from 49 countries, all competing for the grand prize of NT$ 500,000 ($6,700) The final 22 designs include city bikes for easy commuting, easy-to-carry folding bicycles, eco-friendly electric bicycles, and many other bikes with multi-purpose applications.

Among the entries are the Shopping Bike, a commuter bicycle that can either be folded away for easy storage or transformed into a shopping cart for indoor use; Solar Knight, which integrates sporty features such as an adjustable seat and handlebars with a solar-powered panel that provides power for the headlight and brake light and for uphill riding; and TakeOn, a low-cost, easy-to-maintain city bicycle that includes an environmentally-friendly, bamboo-metal compound frame.

Forum Focuses on Cyclings Role in Climate Change
The 2010 International Bicycle Trend Forum covers two main themes, ‘Effects on Global Bicycle Industry after the Copenhagen Climate Council and ‘When the Orient Meets the Occident-The New Aesthetic Mobility.

 

Phase One features an in-depth analysis of the recent Copenhagen Climate Council and what the cycling industry must do to maintain the difficult equilibrium of stabilizing the global economy and strengthening the global ecology. Phase Two features guest speakers Mark Sanders, the world-famous British designer of the Strida & iF Mode folding bikes, and Shikuan Chen, Vice-President of the Compal Electronics Design Center in Taiwan, who share their expert views from distinct Western and Eastern perspectives. This contrast of ideas is sure to inspire new challenges for Western and Eastern designers alike to guide cycling into a new era of aesthetic, ergonomic design.

The show will end the final leg of the Tour de Taiwan March 20. The annual around-the-nation professional cycling race is part of the UCIs Asia Tour. The seven-leg event starts Sunday, March 14 and wraps up at Taipei City Hall on Saturday, March 20 with the closing of the exhibition